Our Naked Essence
Good morning... "All great spirituality teaches about letting go of what you don’t need and who you are not," says Richard Rohr, American Franciscan friar who is a beloved, prolific writer. "Then, when you can get little enough and naked enough and poor enough, you’ll find that the little place where you really are is ironically more than enough and is all that you need. At that place, you will have nothing to prove [...]
When We Choose To Love
Good morning... My friend's daughter fell in love and is planning a June wedding. I was drawn to a strange mother-of-the-bride gift. A small hardback book about a missing cat (my friend loves cats), the death of a mother (my friend misses her beloved mom), and what wisdom we learn from seasons of loss. As she prepares for her only daughter's wedding, why did God coax me to give my friend a book about [...]
Wisdom Is Woven
Good morning... "I always stand in awe of how my morning readings are woven together," she wrote as she shared with me Richard Rohr's meditation from yesterday morning. That very same day, God had been schooling me in this truth: "Comparison kills. Conversation brings life." Our heart raises the white flag of surrender as we exchange our will for God's will, conversing with our Creator when we feel "less than" or "better than." Rohr [...]
Stop Comparing. Start Conversing.
Good morning... As she and I talked after yesterday's class, God's Spirit revealed wisdom: "Comparison kills. Conversation brings life." When we catch ourselves comparing, beating ourselves up for not being "good enough" or seeing ourselves as "superior somehow" to someone else, might our brain tell our heart to raise a white flag of surrender? In times of combat, the white flag is recognized internationally as a symbol of surrender, of truce, of a request [...]
Stop Comparing-Start Conversing
Talking after class, we stumbled upon God’s peace-making wisdom: "Comparison kills. Conversation brings life." Often we catch ourselves comparing, beating ourselves up for not being "good enough" or seeing ourselves as "somehow superior." Might this be the perfect time for our brain to tell our heart, “Raise your white flag?” In times of combat, the white flag is recognized internationally as a symbol of surrender, of truce, of a request for negotiation. Feeling "less [...]
What Is Better Than Happiness?
Good morning... I am not sure we have ever had a more meaningful discussion than yesterday's talk in our young moms' class. We talked about prayer. About praying earnestly and not always getting what we want. How do we sort out what God is up to? When do we arrive at our tipping point, where our personal will is exchanged for God's will? One of the wise women pulled out her phone and read [...]
Experiencing A Natural Birth
Good morning... I gave birth to each one of our four kids naturally. When birthing new life, we endure extreme pain with a well-defined purpose. Near the end of the process, a significant shift occurs. Having spent hour after grueling hour weathering waves of contractions, keeping the baby "in," it finally comes time to get the baby "out!" Each time, I struggled to shift from weathering my waves of pain to finally relinquishing control [...]
With God Each Day
Good morning... With God we begin each day. God directs. We reflect. We connect. God perfects. He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you [My lovingkindness and My mercy are more than enough—always available—regardless of the situation]; for [My] power is being perfected [and is completed and shows itself most effectively] in [your] weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, AMP). ...Sue...
God Transforms Our Brains
Good morning… If you know me, you know I love the first edition of Crenshaw and Snapp's The Hidden Life, an inspiring book chronicling Betty Skinner's holy journey from the depths of debilitating depression, which landed her in a psychiatric ward in the 1960's, to the joy of being reshaped, recreated, reborn, surrendered daily to God's transformational power. Aside from the Bible, I have taught from this book more than any other in the [...]
A Pathway Through Our Pain
Good morning... How do we live through excruciating pain? We turn to Luke 22:41-45 (NIV) to discover a pathway. How did Jesus live through his darkest hours? 1) He withdrew a stone's throw beyond even his inner circle friends. We too give ourselves permission to withdraw, to separate, to take space away from even those we love the most. 2) He knelt down. He crumbled. He collapsed. He surrendered his whole being into the [...]
Jesus’ Pathway Through Pain
“I don’t believe God caused my cancer; I believe He has allowed it,” she said. “Cancer has become a part of God’s plan for my life.” At peace, she trusts God. 21) Jesus’ Pathway Through Pain How do we live through excruciating pain? We turn to Luke 22:41-45 (NIV) to discover a pathway. How did Jesus live through his darkest hours? 1) He withdrew a stone's throw beyond...even his inner circle friends. We [...]
River, Lake, Or Ocean?
Good morning... Since Manchester by the Sea and Moonlight utilize images of water repeatedly, I googled, "What does water symbolize?" I discovered a fascinating quote. "Most often, water represents cleansing, life, and freedom. Water is a contextual symbol in (art and) literature...it can symbolize many things depending on how it is used in a novel or a story (or movie). Often, the type of water...is just as important as the fact that water is [...]